The 5th Panhellenic Conference “Educational Games and Art in Education and Culture” takes place online on 2–3 November 2024 and focuses on the place of play and artistic practices in different learning environments.
The presentation introduces DJ Ostomachion, music-education software inspired by Archimedes’ Ostomachion. The combinatorial logic of the geometric puzzle is transferred into a digital music environment in which different elements are organised and recombined to create new musical outcomes. The application connects musical play, combinatorial thinking, and creation through an interactive process.
The software uses recombination to transfer the logic of a geometric puzzle into processes of musical organisation and creation. Learners can test different combinations, hear the consequences of their choices immediately and develop strategies through repetition, comparison and experimentation. Play therefore becomes a means of understanding musical relationships rather than simply a form of practice. The design also supports open-ended exploration, allowing the same digital environment to produce different musical results according to learners’ choices and combinations.
